


In another universe

by Ursus_minor



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies), Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: AU free form with RP characters, Eventual kisses, F/M, Fluff, Highschool AU of the Marvel Universe, Loki and Thor are the new boys at school, Loki is a bit of an ass, Loki is comforting, Loki is protective, Loki is sassy, Loki is sweet, Loki is the Best, Loki is your best friend at school, No Smut, RPF, free form
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2020-10-11 22:09:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20553473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ursus_minor/pseuds/Ursus_minor
Summary: A slightly different take on the love story of Sigyn (who in this case is the reader) and Loki.Loki is your best friend at high school - and all the good and bad that comes with that ... bantering, laughs, comfort, misunderstandings, broken hearts ... and hopefully a happy ending :)PS: Characters are very loosely based on myth and Marvel - some characters have different names (Sif is Jamie, Angrboda is Angela, Sigyn -who's name means victory - is called Victoria)





	1. The new boy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DiamondintheRough76](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondintheRough76/gifts).

_If life seems jolly rotten_  
_There's something you've forgotten_  
_And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing_  
_When you're feeling in the dumps_  
_Don't be silly chumps_  
_Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing_  
_And ... Always look on the bright side of life_

_Monty Python_

_For some reason, listening to this song and reading "You've changed" by DianmondintheRough76 brought inspired me to write this. I hope you will enjoy it._

  
  


He was the new boy at school. He was cool, funny and overall good looking with his sandy blonde hair and lightly tanned skin. Of course, all the girls were fawning over him, everyone except for Jamie, who was too fussy when it came to boys. Jamie was tall for her age. A dark haired beauty with light grey eyes and practically good at everything. She was captain of the cheerleading team, excelled at sports, scored top marks in any subject, and, as if that wasn't already enough, her character was drenched with goodness and integrity. And she was fearless. Absolutely fearless.

No teenager should be this perfect. 

At the other end of the spectrum were - _you_. Where Jamie excelled, you would only ever be average. Your marks never made it past a C+, you were clumsy and not overly fond of sports, considered your appearance ordinary - part of the reason why you had died your hair black - and on top of it, you were incredibly shy. 

You knew that you'd never be like her. She was perfection incarnate and you would only ever be - her little sister. 

Ever since you were little, you'd been the oddball in the family. And after your parents divorced, Jamie moved to the other side of town with your dad, while you stayed with your mum and her new boyfriend, who wasn't good for either her or you. You considered him an arrogant ass. 

Jamie seemed to always have the sun shining on her, and maybe you should have been jealous of your sister, but you couldn't. Because, even after she moved out, she tried to be your friend and a was a marvellous sister. After she moved in with your dad, she refused to enrol in a new school but rather took the bus across town every day, so that she could be with you. So that you wouldn't feel alone.

She sat down with you during breaks and tried to spend as much time with you as she could. And because Jamie was basically the "queen" of the school, your own status at school definitely improved. People knew you, albeit not by your name, but as "Jamie's odd little sister".

The only downside of being Jamie's little sister was Ange, Jamie's best friend, who was insanely jealous of you. Always had been. Tall and beautiful like Jamie, she was a fiery red-head with a fierce temper.

And she hated you. With all her heart.

A bout of raucous laugher ripped you out of your thoughts and your glance wandered back to the blonde boy, whose laughter resembled a loud rumble of thunder. It made you smile. You liked thunderstorms. Despite of the fact that he looked like he had just stepped off a surf board, he was the son of a British aristocrat. Some English Lordship who had moved to the States for business. Rumour had it that they were connected to the House of Windsor. The Odinson family had been the talk of town for the past couple of weeks.

The blonde boy's name was Thor, and while you had expected him to behave a little more civilised due to his family background, Thor was impetuous and loud and liked to show off his muscles. The doodle in your notebook had turned into a portrait of the surf god and you added a Hibiscus flower to his hair, and put a surf board under his arm. 

Taking a deep breath you tucked the notebook into your bag. Time to get ready for your next class. That's when your eyes came to a rest on the opposite side of the school yard, where a skinny dark haired boy was sitting slightly off the crowd, reading a book.

Thor's brother.

He was a year younger than Thor, but skipped a grade and ended up in Thor's class due to his intelligence. Apparently he was too smart for his own good and yet he seemed to suffer a similar fate to you, because he'd already earned himself the nickname. Everybody knew him as “Thor's shadow”. Maybe that pissed him off and that was why he had an air of arrogance around him. Or maybe it was just the fact that he was highly intelligent and felt that everyone else was inferior. He kept to himself. And while he did sometimes hang out with Thor, most of the time you saw him reading somewhere in a quiet spot - or in the library. 

The dark haired boy raised his head and looked in your direction, so you quickly averted your eyes, going back to stuffing your notebook in your bag.

“Hey, do you want to come to a party tonight?” Jamie came up next to you as you walked inside. 

"I'm not really into parties. You know that." You muttered.

You were too shy. Parties made you uncomfortable.

"It's at Tony's. You'll know people."

“Tony's a senior, I'm grade _nine_ – and I'm not like you, Jamie, I actually _look_ my age.” 

She laughed. It was a kind laugh. Pearly and soft.

“Oh, come on. You need to get out and have some fun. I'll do you up. Lend you one of my old dresses.”

“I'll only get in trouble if mum finds out.”

Jamie cocked her head and looked at you.

“I'll make sure you're home by ten. I went to senior parties when I was your age. ”

“But that was _you_. This is me. You're sixteen and you look a lot more – _mature_.”

“You mean, I got boobs.”

You pulled a face and glared at her, which only earned you another soft laugh.

“Once I take that black stuff off from around your eyes and do your hair, you'll look like a girl. And there won't only be seniors at the party. Those new boys are coming. Thor's brother is your age, I've heard.”

“I like the black stuff”, you huffed, “And I'm not interested in boys. And Thor's brother is a year older than I am, if I'm doing the maths correctly.”

When you slung your bag over your shoulder, Jamie grabbed your arm pulled up the sleeve of your shirt, revealing a tattoo you recently had done.

“Wow. Mum gives you trouble about going to parties, but she allows you to get a tattoo?” 

“Mum didn't allow it.”

“She didn't?”

_Well, she doesn't really notice me around nowadays. She doesn't really care what I am up to._

Jamie held you back when you tried to leave, concern reflecting in her features.

“Hey. You know, I'd love to spend more time with you. I promise the party will be fun.”

You shook your head.

“Not if Ange is going to be there.” 

“She won't. She's going camping with her family for the weekend.”

You sighed. It wasn't that you hated parties. You just weren't good with people, but you also wanted to spend some time with her. 

"Fine. I'll come."

“Great!" Her face lit up. "I'll pick you up at six and we go to my place.”

You nodded reluctantly. You'd never been to a senior party before - and Tony's parties - they had a reputation.

Tony was outrageous. 

And he was your sister's best friend.

You slunk into Tony's house behind Jamie, feeling insecure from the moment you crossed the doorstep. About your appearance, mainly. Jamie had straightened your hair, tied it back in a ponytail and cut you a long fringe. She'd redone your make up - accentuating your natural beauty, she claimed, and you had rolled your eyes at her. On top of that, she had managed to peel you out of your jeans and hoodie and convinced you to wear one of her sundresses. 

When you had caught your reflection in the mirror of your room, you didn't recognise yourself, and by the time you reached Tony's family's house, you felt so self-conscious and vulnerable that you may as well have come to the party completely naked. 

“Come on, sis.” Jamie pulled you along into the main lounge, which was already crowded and the music was pumping. You spotted Tony, Thor and a couple of Tony's friends - Steve and Natasha were there. And Bruce. Tony's parents were away in Europe for a couple of weeks, which meant that he had the run of the house.

The crowd roared as Thor downed a huge glass of beer in one go. There was cheering when he burped loudly, before he wiped his mouth and threw his arms in the air. You shook your head.

_Jesus, it was only seven thirty and those boys were drunk already?_

“Have some of this." Your sister handed you a drink. "It's tasty, but be careful, there's alcohol in it.” You looked at her, then at the drink.

"I don't think I'm old enough for this."

She just smiled.

"Maybe not, but I know you're smart enough to get totally drunk. And it will help relax you a little."

"I don't need to relax. I just don't feel myself."

Jamie opened her mouth to say something, then shrieked when Tony suddenly put his arm around her and pulled her against him, pressing a sloppy kiss on her cheek. 

You pulled a face.

“You are a sight for sore eyes, as always, Jamie." He laughed. "Who's your friend?” His eyes rested on you as he took a sip from the beer he was holding.

Jamie rolled her eyes.

"Really, Tony? You don't recognise her?"

Tony narrowed his eyes, before they widened in shock.

“Vic? That's our – that's little Vicky?” He leaned in to eye you up more closely and you scowled at him.

“Keep your distance, you perv.” You warned. Tony frowned and nodded.

“Yup. You're right. She's definitely vicious little Vicky.”

You rolled your eyes at him again and when he reached out to ruffle your hair, you took a quick step back. 

"I'm not five anymore." You growled. Tony shrugged.

“You're still a kid. I better keep an eye on you.”

Jamie chuckled and you shot her a glare too. 

“I'm old enough.” You hissed and he raised an eyebrow.

“You're fourteen, honey. I'm gonna get your sister to drive you home by nine.”

“Tony, stop behaving like her older brother.” Jamie finally fell in. "I convinced her to come. She'll be fine."

He didn't look convinced, and you wondered why he always had to be so annoying. You'd known him since you were little and he still treated you as if you were a baby.

“I _could_ be her older brother. I basically changed her nappies. I don't know what you were thinking, bringing her to one of my parties."

"I'm not a baby anymore." You could feel tears welling up in your eyes.

_You should have known this was a bad idea. You shouldn't have come here. _

Tony sighed and his voice softened.

"Hey, it's okay." He just said, for once sounding genuinely nice. "Go have some fun. I mean – stay away from any guys you don't know – wait - no - stay away from any guys. Full stop. You look at least a couple of years older than you are in this dress and with your hair and all. And -” He snatched the drink out of your hand, “Get a coke for god's sake. You're too young for _this_.”

He cast a glare at your sister, who had a smug smile on her face, then he looked back at you. You swallowed back the tears.

“I never anticipated you to be protective. Let her have a bit of fun, Tony.”

“I've known her since she was a toddler." He sighed. "How could I _not_ be protective?”

“She'll be fine, Tony. I'll take her home at nine thirty.”

There was another roar and a couple of people called Tony's name. He pointed his finger at you and narrowed his eyes.

"Stay out of trouble."

This time it was you who rolled your eyes. 

“Woah, that was scary.” You said as you watched Tony disappear back in the crowd, followed by a loud cheer.

“Sorry, I never thought he would be so uptight about bringing you here, but I guess you're a bit like a little sister to him.” 

“He's ignored me for years, and now he's playing big brother.”

“He may not show it, but he likes you, Vic.”

You groaned.

“I hope only in a _brotherly_ kind of way?”

Jamie laughed and fetched you another drink.

“Don't let him see it. Tony always fussed over you when you were little. I guess since I moved to dad's he hasn't really had any reason to see you, but he asks about you a lot. You used to come over to his house and hang out with us there. Maybe -”

You shook your head.

"They're your friends, Jamie. Not mine."

"We grew up together."

"But I was always just your little sister."

"That's not true."

"I can't hang out with you anyway, because of Ange."

"You can't always blame it on her."

You took a sip from your drink. It was sweet - and delicious. You tried a little more. You didn't like where this conversation was going. 

"Hey, you know, maybe we could have a girl's night with Nat sometime? No Angela. Just the three of us?"

You bit your lip. 

"That would be nice."

But it wouldn't happen. It had been two years since your parent's divorce. You hadn't really done anything like that since then.

You took another gulp of your drink and could feel warmth spreading through your body. Your head grew light and you felt yourself relax.

"Hey, I think, I'm going to have a look around." You said to Jamie and she smiled encouragingly. 

"Sure. I'll find you."

You wandered through the house and watched people for a while, but the lounge grew to raucous and loud for you, so you retreated to kitchen for a while. A girl who was around your age joined you at the breakfast bar, making herself a sandwich. 

"You want some?" She looked up at you and winked.

"No, thanks." You weren't hungry and you still had half of your drink.

She cut it in half and put the second half on another plate. 

"Who's that for?" You asked curiously.

"My brother." She took off with both plates and returned shortly after, introducing you to her twin-brother, even though he didn't look anything like her. They kept you company for a while, making you feel a lot more comfortable. 

After they re-joined the crowd you finished your drink and as the downstairs of the house filled with people and the volume of the music went up, you decided to withdraw upstairs. To the library. It had always been one of your favourite spots in Tony's parent's house.

You shut the door and leaned against it with a relieved sigh as the noise died down immediately. 

The snap of a book being closed, almost made you jump out of your skin and when you looked up in surprise, you found the couch you were going to settle on already occupied by a skinny dark haired boy with light blue eyes.

“I didn't mean to scare you." He said apologetically, looking sheepish as he sat there with a book in his lap.

"Uh. That's ok. What - what are you doing up here?" You even more surprised at yourself, when you started prattling away at the stranger. “Don't you want to have fun down there? Seems like everyone else is, especially your brother. Woah. He can really drink a lot of beer! Never seen anything like it, but then - I don't have any brothers. Just have a sister. Tony's her best friend. I came up here to read and wait for her to pick me up.”

You suddenly realised that you were rambling and twisted the fabric of your dress between your fingers. 

“You're drunk.” The dark-haired boy stated coolly.

“Uh. Maybe a little.”

His eyes narrowed.

“What are you, year nine?”

Ok, that made you blush.

First you were embarrassed. But then something else took over. Maybe it was the fact that you were slightly intoxicated, maybe it was your inner rebel. But being patronised by a stranger who barely knew you and casually lounged on your friend's couch as if he owned the place, actually annoyed you.

“You're rude.” You hissed.

“And you're too young to drink.” His voice was unbearably calm as he spoke.

“And you - you sound too old for your age.” You retorted.

He stared at you for a moment, then he chuckled.

“_Mature_ would be the appropriate word. But in all fairness, I _have_ to be, to counter balance my brother's entirely immature behaviour.”

“Still, the way you speak, you sound like my grandfather.” He did. He sounded like a grown up when he opened his mouth. But it was a mean thing to say, especially because you actually _liked the way he expressed himself. And you liked his British accent._

“Just because I don't use abbreviations or add a swear word after every breath?”

An infuriating smile lingered on his lips as he looked at you and you felt your cheeks heat up. Plus you suddenly felt the need to apologise.

“I'm sorry.” Was all you managed.

“Apology accepted.”

_Grr. _

_Why did you apologise to him in the first place? And why were you angry with yourself now? And felt embarrassed? And awkward in his presence?_

You moved over to the couch and slopped down next to him. Unexpectedly, he shied away when you leaned over his shoulder to get a glimpse of his book.

You gave him a puzzled look. His mouth was all grown up, but he seemed almost shy, now that you were up close.

“What - what are you reading?”

He didn't answer your question, only stared at your face, then he gestured to his eyes.

“What happened to the black stuff that's usually around your eyes?”

_Huh?_

“And your hair – is different." He kept staring.

_What was it with him? Had he been watching you? That was a little creepy._

Raising your chin defiantly, you prepared for an angry retort, but then he added, 

"In a good way. I mean, your hair looks good. It - all looks - good. The eyes - and - hair.” He stammered. 

“My sister straightened my hair, and she – Jamie did my make up.”

“Hm.” Was all he had to offer.

“What does that mean, _hm_?” 

Not entirely sure what to make of him, you gave him your best glare and he seemed to recover his former self, because he chuckled. Eyes lighting up with amusement. 

It wasn't an evil chuckle though, more a mischievous one. And a _kind_ kind of chuckle.

“You're terrifying when you're angry, you know that?” 

You noticed that he had flawless skin and perfect teeth. 

“And you - are annoying.” You scowled at him. 

“I see.”

“And what does that mean, huh? First you _hm_ at me and now you _see_.”

He grinned.

“Well, I can _see_ your face properly now – without hair and all the black around your eyes. Your eyes have a nice shape, there's no need to hide them."

Good god, you were sure your cheeks were a dark scarlet. They were burning.

"And the dress - suits you. You look - like a girl, it's much better than those torn jeans and that black hoodie.“

You skidded away from him.

“Have you been secretly watching me?”

“I see you _every_ day at school, have you forgotten?”

“But you never look at me.” 

“Just because you don't notice it. I know a lot of details about everyone at school, because I pay attention.”

“How?”

“Observation.”

“But you're always on your own. You don't have any friends.”

He smiled. 

"Seems like someone's been watching me too, little hypocrite."

"Little - what?"

"Hypocrite. It's somebody who accuses someones else of doing the very thing they're doing themselves."

"Oh."

Being caught like this didn't help your already hot cheeks. You liked watching people. And sketching them in your notebook. Maybe the only good thing about being a loner. That you weren't distracted by others, but could safely be tucked away in your own world.

“I don't need friends, I have my family.” He suddenly said.

“Oh.”

_Good for you._

“What about you?” those blue eyes were searching yours. You weren't sure why, but you wanted to be open with him. 

“I don't have family. My parents divorced three years ago. Jamie lives with my dad now, on the other side of town and I live with mum.”

“You still have family. I mean, you live with your mum and go to the same school as your sister.”

“I'm alone most of the time, mum's hardly ever home.”

“I guess a girl your age would enjoy that though, wouldn't you? You can bring your friends over any time, be on the phone as long as you like.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. 

“A girl my age? As far as I know you're hardly a year older, mister.”

He grinned again, showing two rows of perfect pearl teeth. And there was a dimple that appeared in his cheek when he did.

“I am fifteen.”

“I am - almost fifteen.” You stuck yoru tongue out at him and crossed your arms over your chest.

“But you're behaving like a child.” he quipped, obviously amused.

“You know you can be really annoying.”

“You've mentioned that, yes. Some people would claim that I'm insufferable even."

The smile had faded to a small smirk that now lingered on his lips. 

"Tell me about your friends, I never see you hang out with anyone apart from your sister. I guess, you must have friends outside of school.”

You turned away.

_Your friends? You didn't have any friends. You didn't really have anyone - apart from Jamie. _

“That's actually none of your business.”

"So defensive. I apologise if I stepped on a sore toe."

His tone was arrogant though, not apologetic and you didn't like it - at all.

"You're so - arrogant." You tried to say something else, but couldn't. there was a lump growing in your throat and you were too scared that it would burst if you spoke. Which meant that you would start crying, and you didn't want to cry in front of this boy. You didn't want to cry in front of anyone. You didn't want to tell anyone that you didn't have any friends and you didn't want any friends. 

You were fine being alone, weren't you?

You didn't need anyone.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and you realised too late that tears had already started rolling down your cheeks and you were crying. 

He held something green out to you, through your blurred vision you could see it was a handkerchief. 

Did people really carry those around with them? Especially fifteen year old boys?

“You don't have friends - I don't friends. Maybe we should team up?” He spoke softly and his voice was so different to before. Warm and gentle. 

“No thank you.” You pressed the piece of cloth to your eyes to dry them.

“Didn't think you would agree.” he muttered. 

After that you just sat there. You couldn't tell how long. You dried your tears and stared at the green piece of cotton in your hands and he sat next to you, in silence. 

Until your sister suddenly burst into the library.

“Vic?”

You looked up in surprise.

“We gotta go. Sorry, I got distracted and didn't look at the time! It's after ten!”


	2. Loki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> first steps on the path of friendship

You sketched him during your lunch break on Monday. Thor sat on top of one of the tables in the school yard surrounded by his friends, while his brother sat a few feet away, by himself, leaning against a tree, reading.

_Did he really not need any friends?_

You brought your focus back to the drawing, accentuating those high cheekbones and the dark locks. After you'd come home Friday night, you had tried to get him out of your mind but ended up lying in bed for at least an hour thinking about him. 

He was an unusual boy. The way he expressed himself was far too mature and the way he chuckled much too childlike. It annoyed you that your thoughts would bring you back to him again and again. And that you'd kept that green handkerchief of his in the front pocket of your jeans, because it reminded you of him.

He was different. He had not run off as soon as you started crying. He hadn't laughed at you. And he hadn't tried to tell you that everything would be alright. He had apologised and offered you his handkerchief.

He was annoying and at the same time, you liked him - but how did that even work? 

You sighed and it was in that moment that you realised you didn't even know his name.

“Victoria?” His velvet voice startled you and you quickly hid the open side of your notepad against your chest. Better not give him any ideas. Like, for example, that you'd been thinking about him.

You squinted up at him, because he stood against the sun, his book in one hand, the other shoved into his pocket. 

“That is your name, isn't it?”

You nodded.

He pulled his hand out of the pocket and held it out to you. There on his palm lay a small hair pin in shape of a butterfly.

“I believe you lost this Friday night?”

Your eyes widened.

You had. And you'd been upset about it, because it had been a gift from your dad and one of your favourite hair pins. It had tiny crystals on it that sparkled in the sun. When you reached out to pick it from the boy's hand, he closed his fingers into a fist.

You glared at him and he offered you one of his smirks.

“Thor's having supper at Tony's today, so mum will have food left over. Would you like to come to our place after school?”

Your mouth dropped open and you quickly closed it again.

“Are you inviting me over for dinner?”

“Afternoon tea, really.” He shrugged.

“W-why?”

“Because my mum hates wasting food.”

“Right.”

“And because you don't have friends and you said that you're home alone most of the time.”

“I don't mind being by myself.” You said, maybe it sounded a little too defiant, because the boy nodded as if you'd just refused his offer.

“You don't have to come, of course, it was merely an offer of goodwill.”

You felt sorry for being so – defensive – that's what he had called it. You just weren't used to attention and had grown careful over the past years. In a way it was better to have no friends, than to have them leave you.

“I – I don't even know your name.” You muttered and ran your finger over the spine of your notebook.

“Loki.” He said. “Loki Odinson.”

“I _do_ know your _last_ name.” You quipped. “Your mum will not be happy if you drag some random girl home though.”

“My mother would be over the moon, if I dragged some _random_ girl home.” He chuckled softly then he suddenly said, “You kept your hair out of your face. It looks good.”

You didn't answer him. Just squinted at him, trying to figure out why he was nice to you.

Maybe he noticed that you were caught off guard, because a smile curled the corners of his mouth upwards. Then he opened his hand and offered you the hair pin again. This time you hesitated before you reached for it, but he let you take it.

"You're annoying, you know.” You said as you stowed the small treasure in the zip pocket of your bag.

“So you've told me. Several times. I will wait at the gate after school, if you want to come. We can walk to my place."

With that he turned around and stalked off.

You sighed. You weren't good with people. Not anymore. It had all been easier when you were little. Nowadays everything seemed complicated and confusing.

It took you the rest of the day to gather the courage to meet him at the gate. You'd made up your mind about accepting his invitation as soon as he invited you, but – making up your mind and _doing_ that very thing were two entirely different pairs of shoes. Nevertheless, Loki waited for you, as promised, and he smiled when you approached him.

"I take it you're coming then?"

"Just because my mum texted me that she'll be home late. Something came up at work."

"I see." Loki casually slung his bag over his shoulder and started walking. You hesitated, and only when he turned around and winked at you, your legs finally started moving.

He had ridiculously long legs and you weren't the fastest walker, it was surprising the two of you somehow found a comfortable rhythm. You didn't talk much and were relieved about the fact that he didn't try to make conversation. Amazing, how comfortable it felt being around someone without needing to share any words. 

The Odinson's house was amazing. A huge old townhouse with a large front yard and a garden out the back. You felt tiny as soon as you entered the entrance hall with Loki. A long winding staircase led to the upper floors, family portraits lined the walls and a gigantic chandelier was suspended from the ceiling, dangling above your heads.

They were rich. No doubt about that.

"Are these all relatives?" You pointed at the portraits on the walls and Loki nodded.

"Mostly ancestors. My father's side of the family are descendants of Norwegian royalty and my mother's is British aristocracy. So we have a lot of “important” ancestors." He rolled his eyes and smiled.

He smiled a lot, you noticed.

"So, it's true? You're connected to the royal family?"

"Norwegian royalty. And in a very windy way.” He toed off his shoes and dropped his bag at the bottom of the stairs. “You can leave your shoes and bag here - come."

You followed him through the lounge into the kitchen, where his mum was busy putting sandwiches on plates. She looked up when you entered and you immediately knew where Loki had inherited his smile from.

“Hello dear, I'm Frigga.” She wiped her hand on a tea towel and held it out to you. You shook it shyly and told her your name. “Lovely to meet you, Victoria. Make yourself at home.”

Loki's mother was incredibly nice.

_Incredibly_._ Super nice._

Loki helped loading up the plates and carried them outside, placing them on a table on the deck.

“Have a seat”, he pulled out a chair for you and you obediently sat down, watching as he disappeared back inside to get some more food.

“What would you like to drink?” He yelled, sticking his head out the door again. Slightly overwhelmed by the whole scene, you weren't actually sure what you wanted.

“Uh – dunno? Whatever you're having?” He nodded and disappeared back inside.

It all felt kind of surreal.

You were sitting at a table that was laden with sandwiches and pies. There was also a small bouquet of flowers and napkins made of fabric - the surroundings – the garden with the neatly trimmed bushes and flower beds, the white fence, the pretty white chairs with light green cushions – it all felt like a scene out of a movie.

Truth be told, you felt a little bit like Cinderella.

Loki put a bottle of lemonade on the table and settled in the chair opposite you, before he picked a couple of sandwiches and started eating. After a few bites he looked at you and swallowed the mouth-full of food he was chewing.

“Eat.” He ordered, since you hadn't touched anything.

“Is your mum not going to join us? That's a _lot_ of food.” You whispered to him.

“She's used to feeding Thor.” He grinned. “You can take some home, if you like.”

You picked a sandwich and tried it. It was delicious. There were four different kinds so you tried them all, then helped yourself to seconds – you decided that you were most definitely allowed seconds, since you were basically replacing Thor. You hadn't enjoyed food like this in a while. Maybe because you had grown used to making your own. Somehow it tasted so much better when somebody else made it for you!

When you were almost through the second servings of your sandwiches, your eyes met Loki's. Judging by the wide grin on his face he'd been watching you for a while.

“What!?” You scowled at him.

“Your apetite rivals Thor's. Who would have thought that such a skinny little thing could eat so much?”

“You're being rude again.”

He just grinned, then he added.

“Leave some space for dessert. Mum made strawberry shortcakes.”

“Oh god.” You sighed unintentionally, and Loki burst into laughter. It broke the ice. You couldn't help but join him. And you did manage to fit in some strawberry shortcake, too.

After you'd finished eating, you helped him carry the dishes back into the kitchen.

“Thank you so much, Mrs Odinson. I'm really sorry I came uninvited.” You said to his mother when she walked in. 

“Oh, don't worry, dear. Loki texted me you were coming and another woman in the house is always welcome. I live with three men – four counting the dog!” She winked. Loki disappeared back into the garden to get the rest of the plates and you started loading the dishwasher.

“It's Frigga for you, not Mrs Odinson. And you don't have to do that, you know?”

You felt your cheeks flush.

“I don't mind.” You muttered. “You did all the hard work, really.” When the plates and cutlery was stored away, you looked around. “Is there anything else I can help with?”

Frigga nodded.

“You can go and spend time with Loki. It's not often that he takes a liking to someone – and he's never brought anyone home before.”

You shrugged.

“He just feels sorry for me. Because I told him I don't have many friends.”

“And he misses his sister.” She sighed.

“Loki has a sister?”

“Hela. She's the oldest and stayed in England. She is going to college in Cambridge.”

“Oh.”

“Hela and Loki are very close, and he always wanted a little sister. Someone he could take care of. He's a very caring boy, unusually so for his age.”

“He is unusual for his age, that's for sure.” You muttered and Frigga laughed softly.

Loud barking and Loki's pearly laughter wafted in from the garden and distracted you.

“You haven't met our dog, have you? Why don't you go and join them?”

So, this was how your friendship began.

From that Monday on, Loki would walk you home after school and since your mum wasn't home much, you'd often come over to his place for afternoon tea or dinner. Frigga always welcomed you with open arms and you even grew fond of Loki's father, who had been rather intimidating in the beginning, but turned out kind-hearted underneath. 

Sometimes Loki would hang out with you at your place. He'd help you with homework, since he basically finished all his own homework at school, during class, so he had plenty of time to help you with yours. He was patient. Unimaginably patient. And he was really good at explaining things to you.

More often you just sat in the lounge together, reading. Now that summer was coming closer and it was warm outside, you'd sit in their garden together or lie on the grass, watching the clouds.

A lot of the time it was a quiet friendship. And when it wasn't quiet it was filled with laughter or chuckles.

Loki's presence allowed you to feel accepted. And appreciated. He'd become a life-line for you when things turned tough.

The only trouble was that your mother's boyfriend thought you were spending too much time together, and since he didn't like you – a feeling that was mutual – he convinced your mother to ground you and ban Loki from visiting you.

Which, as you soon discovered, didn't deter Loki from seeing you. Mature and grown-up that he seemed, he wasn't somebody who followed the rules with blind obedience.

"I am Loki", he said as he climbed through your window, a mischievous smirk on his lips. "I do what I want."

You admired him for that. 


	3. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is comfort :)

Loki lounged on your bed, eating an apple and watched you as you fiddled with your hair, trying to untangle the wet strands and brush out the knots. Due to the frequent dying your hair had gone brittle and was prone to knots. You'd dyed it quite a few times over the past year. From red to blonde, back to red, then you bleached it to snowy white, and now it was black. It was basically ruined.

“Let me give you a hand”, Loki suddenly said, got off the bed to walked over to where you were sitting at your dressing table. He picked up a comb and placed his free hand on your head. You stiffened.

“Don't pull it.” You grumbled, trying not to show that you liked him touching you. You ususally didn't like to be touched and it surprised you how nice it felt. His hand was warm and his touch gentle and when Loki's eyes flicked up to meet yours in the reflection of the mirror, he grinned, as if he knew exactly how you felt. 

“Trust me.” He said as he ran his fingers down your hair and gathered it in his hands, then he started to comb out the knots. One by one.

“You need to use a better conditioner.” He chided after a while. “Or cut your hair. It's all ruined anyways.”

_Well, thanks for the compliment._

The tone of his voice was soft, but sometimes you wished he wasn't as straight forward when he said things. You knew that your hair was ruined, but to hear it – from your friend on top of it – was a different matter. It hurt.

“It's not ruined.”

“It is. You evidently dyed it too many times.”

_Grr._

You crossed your arms over your chest.

“What?” He halted and looked at you.

“It's just - it's not very nice of you to rub it in. You're my friend, aren't friends supposed to be nice?”

Loki smiled and continued detangling the knotted strands. Then he leaned forward and reached for the hair brush. He pulled it from the top of your head down your hair, brushing it thoroughly, which was incredibly soothing and you closed your eyes.

"Maybe I'm just not a nice person." He said.

"That's not true!" You blurted out, your eyes snapping open to see him grinning at you and realised that he had merely tricked you into saying something nice. The grin still on his face, Loki shrugged and started braiding your hair.

_How did he even know what he was doing?_

"What are you doing?"

"Braiding your hair." 

"How do you even know how to do that?"

"Well, it's not exactly rocket science."

"But you're a boy."

He glanced at you, amusement lingering in his eyes.

"Girls play with dolls and boys with cars, right? What a boring way to see the world." He offered. 

You pouted.

"Anyways, it wasn't a nice thing to say that about my hair."

"Why? It's the truth." he deadpanned. 

"You're my friend. You shouldn't tell me how horrible I look."

He finished the braid and tied it, but kept his hands on your hair, while his blue-green eyes narrowed. 

"I didn't tell you that you look horrible."

"You kinda did."

His eyes narrowed even further.

"You, little racoon, are insecure about your looks - that's why you feel that way. It has nothing to do with what I said."

_Ouch. That was blunt._

You felt yourself withdraw immediately and Loki gently tugged your braid to get your attention. 

"I am your friend. That's why I will not support your insecurity. I will not support _any_ of your weaknesses." He said sternly as his eyes held your gaze, then a soft smile tugged on the corners of his mouth. "Unless your weakness involves salted caramel ice cream and chocolate brownie." Loki added. "In that case I will not only support it, I will happily share it with you."

"You're an ass." You whispered, biting your lip. 

"Why do you always insult me, when you're trying to say something nice?"

He looked away and let go of your hair. 

"Loki?"

"Hm?"

You turned around in the chair and threw your arms around his waist, pressing your face into the neatly ironed cotton shirt. He felt warm. And incredibly good. 

You wanted to tell him so many things. But you just couldn't. You couldn't muster the courage to tell him how much you liked having a friend like him. How much you liked it that he spent so much time with you. How much you admired him for being such a wonderful person. So fearless. Never intimidated by anything or anyone. You were sure that Loki was the bravest person you'd ever known. And the kindest. 

And when his arms came around you a moment later, your world felt perfect. 

"I didn't mean to hurt you." He muttered softly. "I like the long hair, but maybe you should cut it and let it grow back. That's all I meant to say." His fingers curled around your braid. "But it doesn't matter. I like you just the way you are." 

***

It was later that week, when you lay curled up in your bed, buried in the sheets and pillows and silently praying for the pain in your tummy to pass. You cuddled the stuffed racoon Loki had given you a little tighter. He said that he had won the racoon at a fair he'd visited with his family and claimed he had too many stuffed animals at home already, so he asked you if you wanted to have it. You loved it. It reminded you of him when you felt lonely.

Right now, you didn't feel lonely, but halfway through the maths class, you broke out in cold sweat and the cramps started. You hardly made it through English literature, before you decided to speak to the teacher and were excused for the rest of the day.

Over the past months your periods had become painful and were usually accompanied with a feeling of gloom and sadness. You had no idea why, but couldn't really talk about it either. Well, you'd tried to tell your mum, but she was always too busy with her work nowadays. Even when she was home, she was often on her computer trying to get things done. 

It wasn't until your phone chimed that you jolted up with the realisation that Loki was probably waiting for you at the school gate. 

_Loki: Where are you?_

_You: So sorry. I'm sick. Had to leave early._

__Loki: _Is it bad?_

__Loki: _You looked fine this morning._

__Loki: _Do you need anything?_

Three messages came in a row. You smiled. He was worried.

_You: don't worry. Am ok. Just need sleep. _

_Loki: Is your mum home?_

_You: No._

_ _Loki: What if it gets _ _ _worse?_

_You: I'm fine. _

_ _Loki: I'm on my way._ _

You frowned. There was no way to deter him from coming over, you knew him well enough. But even though you shared a lot of things with Loki, telling him about your period cramps wasn't one of those things. It was embarrassing to even think about it. You sighed and buried your face in the fur of the stuffed toy. 

"He's annoying." You muttered. "As always."

About ten minutes later, you heard the creak on the roof that had become the now familiar sound of Loki walking on it. He would climb up the trellis on the side of the house and then sneak over the roof up to your window. The knock on the glass followed a moment later and you rolled out of bed to let him in. He slipped through the window with the gracefulness of a dancer. Loki's moves always seemed elegant. Precise. Not clumsy, like yours.

Another thing you admired about him.

"You look pale. Do you have a fever?"

Loki's gaze was laced with concern. You sighed and shook your head, before you climbed back into bed and he sat down on the edge.

"I'm fine, really."

"You're evidently not fine." He leaned forward and brushed a finger over your forehead. "You don't have a temperature, but you're sweating."

_What was he? A doctor? On top of being the most unusual teenage boy you'd ever met?_

"Are you feeling nauseous?"

You shook your head again.

"I just need rest."

You bit your lip as another wave of pain radiated through your tummy. 

"Are you in pain?"

_Goodgodloki! Stop being so inquisitive!! _

"If you don't tell me what's wrong with you how am I supposed to make you feel better?"

"I didn't ask you to make me feel better." You hissed, immediately regretting your response. 

"Of course." He sounded hurt. 

_Great._

"Loki. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I should go and let you rest."

"It's - it's that time of the month, ok? I've got my period." You said and blushed. "It's embarrassing to talk about it, ok? You're a boy and - I - it's not that I don't want you around --"

"Are you having cramps? Is it that?"

You just stared at him.

_What?_

"Where do you keep the hot water bottles?"

_What the -?_

"Bottom drawer of the kitchen." You answered.

"Have you taken any pain killers?"

You nodded. 

"They're in the bathroom."

"I'll be back."

You watched him disappear and he returned about five minutes later with a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel and the bottle of painkillers in his hand. 

"Put this on your tummy, it will ease the cramps." He handed you the hot water bottle and you obediently did as you were told. "How many of those did you take?" Loki shook the painkillers.

"Five .. maybe six?"

"You're only meant to be taking _TWO_!" He narrowed his eyes.

"But it hurts." You whined and he shook his head. 

"Don't take them again. There's a better kind, one that's made especially for period pain and it's much more effective."

You stared at him, unsure of what to make of this boy.

"Hela used to get bad cramps." As if that explained everything."Mum used to give her Evening Primrose oil, which helped her more than the drugs. Maybe your mum can get you some."

With that Loki climbed on your bed and lay down beside you. 

"What - what are you doing?" You asked carefully as he shimmied closer. 

"Mum told me that girls can go either way when they have their period. They either hate somebody else's presence, or they crave it, because they need to feel comforted." His arm came around you and his hand settled on top of the towel-wrapped hot water bottle. He chuckled softly. "Hela hates it when I get this close." 

He didn't need to tell you that he was confident you belonged to the category of girls who _craved_ somebody else's presence. And he was right, because, as awkward as it was to be so close to him, you instantly relaxed, feeling comforted by his closeness and the warmth of his body. The dull pain was still there, but it was slowly fading. Maybe it was due to the fact that your heart was beating much faster now. 

"Is something wrong?" He asked softly.

"Uh." Was all you managed.

Nobody had cuddled you for a while, because you usually pushed them away. You didn't want to push Loki away though, so you just lay beside him. Very still, listening to your heartbeat and Loki's voice. 

"My mum said that girls lose a bit of their life-energy when they lose their blood, so it's important for them to rest and eat well. In the old Northern traditions of European shamanism, the moon blood was considered a highly potent magical potion and priestesses of Matriarchal cultures were given special care during the times of their period." He spoke the words softly and you felt his warm breath against your hair. 

"Loki, that's kinda gross."

He chuckled softly. "What I mean to say is, that it's nothing you need to be ashamed of. And I'll be there if you need me."

You turned your head to look at him, but Loki's eyes were closed and so, after a while, you did the same. Aware of the warmth of his body and the heat of the hot water bottle, you slipped into a dreamless sleep. 

You woke up a while later because you were too hot.

_Far too hot!_

With a whine you pushed the heavy blanket off you and to your surprise it purred softly. 

"I'm sorry." Loki muttered sleepily. 

"Hot. I'm too hot." You murmured, struggling against the weight on your chest, and then you realised that you were not only tangled in your sheets but half covered by a sleepy Loki, who had his face tucked into the crook of your neck. He chuckled softly and gave another purr when he moved off you.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he rolled onto his side, bracing himself on his elbow to look at you.

The dark haired boy had a soft smile on his lips but those clear blue eyes almost black as he regarded you. You'd never seen anyone's pupils dilated like this, it was as if you could see straight into his the depth of his soul. 

So deep. 

"Better." You murmured, unable to take your eyes off his.

"I'm glad." He whispered softly. 

"Me too." You said, staring at him. 

"Good." He replied holding your gaze.

The noise of the front door shutting startled you out of your trance. 

"Mum's back." You muttered and Loki sat up and stretched. 

"I better go."

Even though you weren't aware back then, this was probably the first time you fell in love with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wish I'd had a best friend like Loki!


	4. Friends

The summer holidays rolled around. Loki and Frigga went back to England for five weeks and you spent a couple of weeks at your dad's, which you enjoyed. Jamie had kept her promise and you spent an afternoon with Natasha and your sister, chatting, eating ice cream and shopping. As it turned out, Natasha had really good taste and you came home with a few new favourite things.

Movie nights at Tony's became a regular thing over the summer holidays and you realised how much you had missed this over the past years. Missed hanging out with people you liked. Even though you would always be the "baby", but at least they didn't treat you like one - well, most of them didn't.

"So, the two are you are glued together now, huh?" Tony arched an eyebrow at you before he narrowed his eyes. You were sitting on the couch next to him and Natasha, the movie had just finished.

"What - who?"

"The dark prince and you." He took a swig from his beer. "Has he kissed you yet?"

You pulled a face. 

"You're gross, Tony. Loki's my friend not my _boy_friend!"

"Well, he's a boy, just in case you haven't noticed." Tony quipped with a grin.

"Yeah, but he's not that kind of boy, Tony", Natasha fell in, "The little prince is from a decent family."

"From a decent family, my ass!" Tony huffed. "Look at his brother, he's already out cold and snoring. No restraint when it comes to beer."

Everyone glanced over at Thor, who lay sprawled out on the lounge carpet, fast asleep with his head in your sister's lap. Jamie had her arm around him and he grunted softly when she ran her fingers through his hair. Tony shook his head and you chuckled. Jamie and Thor had started going out a couple of weeks ago and you liked the fact that your sister and Thor got along, because it felt a bit were having an older brother now. 

"But you're right, Nat, I think Vic got the better deal." Tony took another swig from his beer and you rolled your eyes. 

"Loki and I are just friends."

"Yeah, but he's almost sixteen. Hormones are going haywire at that age. I can't believe he hasn't even _tried_ to kiss you."

You grabbed one of the couch cushions and threw it at Tony, who caught it and casually tucked it behind his head.

"Fine, I get it. No kissing." Tony looked at you with a smirk. "So, is he into boys or what?" 

Natasha slapped his arm. "Leave her alone, you big bully." She said calmly. You admired how she always kept her cool no matter what. That's why everyone respected her - even the boys. Nat was a tough cookie, but one of those that were incredibly soft on the inside. 

Thor grunted and stretched, followed by a long yawn, before he cracked one eye open and looked up at Tony, Nat and you. Then his gaze wandered to Jamie.

"Did I miss the end of the movie?" 

Nat rolled her eyes and Tony sipped on his beer. 

"Movie's over, Point Break", Tony said, "Now we're trying to figure out if your little brother's kissed Vic yet - so that I can decide if I need to teach him a lesson or not."

"Tony!" You hissed.

Thor's gaze wandered to you.

"Why would Loki want to kiss Victoria?" He asked sleepily.

Tony shook his head. "Nevermind." 

"It would never cross Loki's mind to see her as anything else than a little sister." The blonde boy yawned again, closed his eyes and snuggled back into Jamie's lap. 

_Right. That's why you were just friends. Because for Loki you were a little sister, nothing more. And he was like a brother to you, right?_

Only that in this moment you realised that - he wasn't. 

Thor felt like a brother. But not Loki. So, what was Loki to you?

You'd only had a crush once, in primary. Peter Parker. You still remembered his name, because he was your first (and last) crush and because it was the summer your parents decided to divorce. Every time you'd seen Peter, you got the butterflies. You were super nervous and extra shy. The two of you had held hands a couple of times and even went to the movies once, but you'd always felt nervous around him.

You never felt nervous around Loki. You always felt good around him, so you obviously didn't have a crush on him. 

Loki wasn't like a brother and he wasn't like crush, because he was your friend.

The best friend you could wish for. 

Loki cared about you. He even cared about your marks at school. He was always there when you needed him. He was always kind and offered his help when you were stuck. He made you laugh and he played innocent pranks on you to see you smile. Everything in Loki's world seemed to revolve about you when you were together.

Just like everything in your world revolved about him. 

Loki was like a bright star in a sea of darkness. Your pole star. You knew he'd always be there, no matter what.

Loki was someone you could rely on.

"Hey, I better take you home, it's getting late." Nat got up from the couch and held out her hand. When you reached for it she pulled you upright.

"Why don't you bring Loki along next time, Vic?" She asked when you walked to the car.

"Not sure if he's into movies, because he loves books and stuff. But he's back on Monday. I'll ask him." You chewed your lip and slid into the passenger's seat. 

"Nat? Is it bad that he hasn't tried to kiss me?" 

Natasha cocked an eyebrow. 

"Well, do you _want_ him to kiss you?"

You shook your head.

"I don't think so."

She laughed softly.

"Don't let Tony get to you, sweetie. Just ignore him when he's obnoxious. And no, there's nothing wrong with Loki not kissing you."

After you'd brushed your teeth and changed into your pyjamas, you lay in your bed and stared up at the ceiling for a while. Then you turned on to your side and pulled the stuffed racoon into your arms. You missed Loki. It had been five long weeks and you couldn't wait to spend time with him again.

You rolled over onto your back and stared at the ceiling again. 

If you had to kiss a boy, what would he have to be like? Probably just like Loki. You pulled a face at the mere thought of kissing Thor - or Tony, but kissing Loki seemed doable. There was nothing gross about it. 

But then, you'd only kiss boys if you had a crush on them, wouldn't you? And you didn't have a crush on Loki. 

You grabbed your phone and opened your last WhatsApp conversation with Loki.

You: Heya. 

It took a couple of minutes, before your phone chimed.

Loki: Hello little racoon

You: You still awake?

Loki: Now I am

You: What's the time there?

Loki: 3am

You: Oops. Sorry ...

Loki: What's troubling you?

You: Nothing

Loki: I see

Oh, you hated when he did that. For some reason, whenever Loki did the dismissive "I see" it immediately made you want to pour your heart out to him.

You: Can I ask you something?

Loki: Anything

You: Would you -

you started typing, but stopped, your fingers hovering over the screen.

_Was it silly to ask him? Maybe he'd think you had a crush on him. But he didn't have a crush on you. You were like a sister to him, so then, there shouldn't be a problem, right? But maybe ..._

Loki: Are you still there?

_Just type it. _

You: Would you like to kiss me?

There was a long pause before your phone chimed again.

Loki: Would you like me to?

_Uh, that wasn't fair. _

You: I don't know. I've just been thinking ... and I would rather you be my first kiss ... not someone like Thor or Tony.

You jumped when your phone rang pretty much as soon as you'd sent the message. You quickly slid your finger over the screen.

"Loki?" You whispered.

"Did Thor try to _kiss_ you? Or - Tony?" He sounded anything but sleepy, even though it was 3 in the morning. Loki sounded angry and you'd never experienced Loki angry before.

You frowned.

"No, of course not. Why?"

There was an audible sigh of relief on the other end of the line.

"Then why are you suddenly bringing it up?"

"Because Tony thought it was odd that you haven't tried to kiss me and then I asked myself what kind of boy I'd like to - well, kiss."

You broke off.

"Tony's an idiot." Loki muttered and yawned. 

"I know."

"And you worry too much, little racoon."

"I know." You sighed softly.

"You're too young to worry about kissing boys, ok?" 

"Ok." You sighed again and snuggled into the pillows. "I don't want to kiss anyone anyways." You murmured and heard Loki chuckle on the other end of the line. 

"I miss you." He said.

"I miss you too." You yawned.

"Did you get the pictures?"

"Of you and Hela? Yeah, thanks."

Loki had sent you a bunch of selfies of him and his sister earlier that day. HIs sister was pretty. She had jet-black hair, like Loki and light coloured eyes and a bright smile. In one of the pictures she was ruffling Loki's hair, which made him look like a first grader. it had made you chuckle.

"Next time I'll bring you", Loki said, "To England, I mean. You will like England."

"I'd like to see the horses." You replied.

"You'd love the horses."

Loki had spent his holidays in the English countryside where his mum owned a huge house with a plot of land - including a small lake and horses and all. It was a little beyond you how the Odinson's could own so many houses. 

"I would take you for a ride down to the lake." His laughed softly. "We could lie under the trees. Have a picnic. I could read to you."

It felt so good to hear his voice. You talked for another hour before you finally hung up and snuggled into your pillows, hugging Loki's racoon. 

You loved to have a friend like Loki. 

He was the best and you couldn't wait to have him back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love them both. They're incredibly cute. :)


	5. Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... sweet times and dark times... 
> 
> Trigger warning: Domestic violence
> 
> Thanks to everyone for enjoying this :) <3

"My father wants me to be a lawyer." Loki said.

The two you lay on the grass, looking up into the crisp blue sky, watching the fluffy clouds drift along lazily. It was the last week of your holidays and the weather already turned cooler now that summer was coming to an end. After a long phone conversation between Frigga and your mum, she agreed for you to spend a few days with Loki's family at their hunting lodge in a remote area near the mountains.

Once again you had to keep your jaw from dropping, as the hunting lodge was really more of a family home in the heart of the forest, complete with two huge guest rooms with ensuites and a large deck that overlooked a small lake, which was part of their property. 

It was early afternoon and Loki and you had found a sunny spot down by the lake that was the perfect place to nap or read. Your head was resting on Loki's arm and even though it was a bony and didn't necessarily make for a comfortable pillow, you really enjoyed his closeness.

"What did you say?" You turned your head towards him and confessed guiltily that you hadn't been listening. Spending time with him did that to you. His presence made you forget things. Lose yourself in the moment. Ever since Loki had returned from England, you spent even more time together than before. 

“I said: my father - wants me - to become - a lawyer.” He repeated very slowly, drawing the words out on purpose as if you were a complete dimwit.

"Loki!" You jabbed your elbow into his ribs and he sniggered. "I'm not an idiot!"

"No, but you're adorable when you're mad with me." He laughed softly. 

_Ugh._

"A lawyer? That's ridiculous."

"And what is so ridiculous about that?"

"Well, first of all - you're _Loki_, you do what you want! So I'm surprised you're listening to what your dad tells you. And secondly, aren't lawyers meant to - well, stick to the law? How does that fit into with - I do what I want?" You teased him and the corners of his mouth curled in a smirk.

“Only the _boring_ lawyers. The really good ones know all about loop holes and how to sidestep the law.”

“Still", you giggled, as you imagined Loki dressed up in a neat suit and looking all serious. "I can't imagine you being a lawyer.”

Without withdrawing his arm, he rolled onto his side to face you.

“And why's that?”

“You're not serious enough. And you're – well, you're - nice.” It wasn't often that you admitted this to him so openly. 

“Am I now?” Loki grinned cheekily and the look on his face should have given you enough warning for what was about to come. He poked his finger into your side and you squealed and batted his hand away.

"Stop! Don't you dare tickle me!" Of course, it had been absolutely the _wrong_ thing to say. 

"Well, maybe I am not so nice after all." The cheeky grin turned into devious one as he narrowed his eyes at you.

_Uh-oh._

Before you could escape, he trapped you in his arms and dug his fingers into your side without mercy. You shrieked and squealed and tried to defend yourself, but Loki had you in a death grip and tickled you until you desperately begged him to stop and tears were rolling down your face. When he finally stopped, you were gasping for air. 

“You're such an ass, Loki!” You wiped the tears off your cheeks with the back of one hand and hit him in the chest with the other. 

“Guess, that proves that I have potential to become a lawyer?” He smirked and you tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but Loki held you caged in his arms, keeping you trapped underneath him. 

“That's not funny. That was _mean_.” You grouched, pushing against his chest with both hands now.

Loki released you, propping himself up on one elbow, watching you. Determined he'd have to work hard for your forgiveness you pouted. That was until one of his hands came to a rest on your stomach, his slender fingers splaying out, and he carefully leaned forward to nuzzle his face into the crook of your neck.

"Forgive me?" He whispered softly into your hair. "Please?"

You whined and he pressed his forehead against your neck. His skin was cool and his hair soft.

"I hate being tickled." You grumbled, but the determination of not forgiving him already drained away and you hesitantly, brought your hand on top of his. When Loki didn't move, you gingerly stroked the back of it with your thumb and he purred softly.

"I will not do it again." He whispered. "Not _today_, at least."

You slapped his arm and he gave a soft, amused grunt.

“I missed my little racoon.” Loki murmured against your skin. "I missed _this_."

"I missed you too." You said softly. "Even though you can be a real pain."

He tightened his hold on you briefly, before his hand slithered from your stomach to your waist and snaked around you to pull you into his arms. You moved your hands to bring one around his slender waist. He wasn't as skinny as he used to be, you realised as you felt him through the fabric of his t-shirt. His ribs used to be a lot bonier, and they were now covered by a firm layer of muscle which you started to explore absent-mindedly with your fingers. 

Loki purred again. Sometimes he really reminded you of a big, cuddly cat. The thought made you smile and you hugged him a little tighter.

"The short hair suits you, by the way", he muttered as he tucked your head under his chin. "I'm glad mum took you to the hairdresser to get it fixed, though." 

You had finally taken Loki's advice and cut it. Because you'd never been to a hairdresser, you'd tried it yourself, which hadn't been quite as easy as you anticipated and when Frigga asked if you would like to join her to see her hairdresser, you had agreed happily. you were sure that Loki probably talked his mother into it, but in this case you didn't mind. It looked a lot better now. But -

"It wasn't _that_ bad." You said defiantly.

"Nothing about you could ever be _bad_." Loki hummed softly. 

"Loki?"

"Hm?"

"You need to stop doing that." 

"Stop doing what?"

"Say things like that."

"Like what?" He raised his head, looking slightly confused. 

"Treating me like I'm perfect."

With a soft sigh he nuzzled his head back into the crook of your neck. You squeaked when he moved suddenly and pulled you on top of his chest. 

"To me you are", he sighed contently. "Absolutely perfect."

You closed your eyes. You wished you could see yourself the way Loki saw you. No matter what you said or did, he always accepted you. It wasn't because he tried to be nice, no, he could be brutally honest with you - it was rather that he never judged you. 

You snuggled closer to him, listening to his heart beating in his chest while his breath tickled you hair. You didn't need anything else. In this moment you felt completely happy.

If you ever fell in love, it would be like this. Warm, soft and gentle.

Just like Loki.

_I love that pic. It reminds me so much of Loki and Sigyn._

***

It was a few weeks later, on a grey and drizzly day in late November, when your phone chimed and you reluctantly picked it up, already dreading Loki's message. 

_“How are you?”_

_“Still sick.” _You typed and wandered into the kitchen. 

_“Do you need anything?”_

_“No thanks. I'm ok”_

_“I'm on my way.”_

You bit your lip.

It had been three days since you had last seen him. Three whole days. The longest amount of time you had been apart since the summer holidays and it bordered on a miracle that you had actually been able to keep Loki at bay for this long, but you could tell he was getting restless - and worried, which meant it would be a lot harder to convince him to stay away for a little longer. 

With a sigh, you opened the fridge door and poured yourself a juice, before you typed your message.

_“It's really contagious. Just go home, we can talk on the phone?”_

_“I don't mind catching it.”_

_"I really need to rest."_

_"I can read while you rest."_

You felt tears prick your eyes. He was so incredibly sweet and persistent and you just wanted to see him so badly. But you couldn't. 

_"I'm terrible company right now. I really need to sleep." _

You pulled some bread and peanut butter out of a cupboard and grabbed a plate. You felt really bad for lying to him, but you had no other choice.

_"I promise I will not disturb you. I just need to see you."_

_A moment later your phone chimed agian._

_"I miss you."_

_Shit._ Why did he have to do be so nice? ... Because he's Loki. That's why.

You didn't want to type the words, but it was the only way you could think of keeping him away.

_"I don't want to see you right now."_

As soon as you had sent it, your heart clenched and your stomach churned. It was _mean_, it was a _lie_ and it would _hurt_ him. You were the worst best friend on this entire planet. And on top of that, hurting Loki - hurt you. But there was no way you could tell him why you hadn't been to school for the past days. You had promised your mum. 

You blankly stared at the dark screen of your phone for a long while before it finally chimed again.

_"Are you in bed?"_

_"Yes."_

_"In your room?"_

What- why?

_"Yes."_

You finished making your sandwich and got ready to wrap up in a blanket in front of the tv, when your phone chimed again.

_"Is your mum home?"_

_"No."_

The knock on the door almost made you jump out of your skin. You froze. You weren't expecting anyone. And you couldn't open the door, because whoever was out there would start wondering what happened to your face.

Maybe they would just leave if you were quiet?

Another text message came in.

_"I'm at the door."_

_Shoot._

You stared at your phone, your hands shaking slightly.

Loki knew you'd lied to him.

Good god, you where appalling. He had never done anything to hurt you. Never lied to you.

Loki was your friend and the one person you had sorely missed over the past three days ... and what were you doing? You were being an obnoxious asshole.

But you couldn't let him see you like this. He would be upset and he would probably get angry if he found out what happened. 

_"I know you're not in bed. Please, open the door."_

Shortly after the message, the knock came again and you tiptoed over to the door, placed your hand on the wood and listened.

"Loki?" You whispered.

"Who else would it be?" He sounded irritated and your heart dropped. 

"I'm really not well. Just go home. Please?"

There was a long pause. 

"What is wrong?" The irritation had gone and the tone of his voice was coloured with worry more than anything.

You scrambled for any kind of excuse that could deter him from wanting to come in. 

"I - I - I have a terrible rash on my face. It's really bad and it's embarrassing- I don't want you to see me like that."

_That wasn't all too bad, was it? _

Silence.

And more silence.

For a moment you wondered if he had left.

"Why - why are you lying to me, sweet pea?" He asked softly and his words ripped an open wound into your chest. You squeezed your eyes shut, feeling hot tears drip down your face and wished you could just tell him the truth. 

"Please. Go home." You pleaded instead and there was a soft thump, you figured that Loki had leaned his head against the other side of the door, so you placed your hand on the smooth wooden surface imagining you could touch him.

You wanted to tell him that everything was alright, that you were fine, even though it wasn't and you weren't.

"Why are you doing this?" He sounded so weak. More tears rolled down your cheeks.

You didn't _want_ to do this. You didn't _want_ to lie to him. You didn't _want_ to send him away. 

The thing you _wanted_ was to be with him. Feel the safety of his arms. Feel him. Listen to his voice. 

"I'm worried." Loki muttered, his voice so quiet that you could only hear it because he was just on the other side of the door. "Please, let me see you at least. Just for a moment."

You wiped a stray tear off your cheek.

Damn it. You'd promised your mum.

Promised that you wouldn't tell anyone, not even Loki. _Especially_ not Loki. She had made you promise that you wouldn't see him for at least a week. Why on earth had you agreed to that? And why were you so loyal to a person who'd hardly spent any time with you over the past years while you deceived your best friend? Because this person was your mum. 

The past days had been terribly confusing and unsettling.

It hadn't been the first disagreement with your mum's boyfriend, but this time things got out way of hand and before you knew it you were yelling at him on the top of your lungs. He had acted like an asshole for weeks and you just couldn't take it anymore. All the stupid rules, the constant criticism, the vicious little digs he took at you that hurt your feelings. Nothing about you was good enough. He criticised your clothes, made fun of your hair, he mocked your friendship with Loki - which had basically been the straw that broke the camel's back. 

Just because he was an adult, he had no right to treat you like that - bloody hell, he wasn't your dad. He had no right to tell you _anything_! That's what you had told him.

And that's when he had hit you. Once. Then twice, when he backhanded you. He hit you hard and took you completely by surprise and you stumbled backwards and landed on the couch.

Your vision was bleeding white, your ears were ringing and it took a moment for you to understand what had happened. Then your vision blurred as tears shot to your eyes. You felt something trickle down your cheek and instinctively wiped it off, shocked to find the back of your hand smeared with blood. 

Staring at the blood on your fingers, you heard your mum and him yell at each other and a couple of minutes later the front door slammed. He was gone.

"Jesus Christ", your mum said when she grabbed your arm, pulled you up and into the kitchen, starting to clean the blood off your face. It stung. You slowly became aware of a painful throb under your right eye. It must have been the ring on his finger, you thought, trying to rationalise it. He always wore a ring. It must have scraped your skin. 

The whole situation felt completely surreal. 

The soft throb in your cheek grew stronger and you felt blood trickle from your nose now too.

"Shit." Your mum cursed and carefully pressed a damp washcloth to your nose and one in your neck. "Why'd you have to do that? Can't you just let me be happy? Can you never think about anyone but yourself?" You knew she didn't mean it, knew she was shocked and angry, but her words still hurt like hell.

And you just stood there, your face burning and throbbing, while she told you that you were grounded for at least a week and that she'd call the school to let them know you weren't coming in. Then she slumped down at the kitchen table, put her head in her hands and cried. 

You should have gone and placed your arms around her, but you couldn't, because you felt that you needed to feel her arms around _you_ right you. 

So you ran upstairs, locked yourself into your room and buried your face in your pillow, which made you whine in pain. He hadn't just slapped you. The asshole had actually hit you with force. You just couldn't understand why your mum would put up with all this shit from him. Couldn't understand why she would let him treat you like he did and never stand up for you. 

Your dad would have never resorted to violence. _Never_. 

A tornado of emotions broke loose inside you. You'd hated your mum's boyfriend from the start, because he'd been the reason your parents divorced, but now your mum thought you had done this on purpose.

_"Can't you just let me be happy?" _Her words rang in your mind.

Did she think you had provoked him on purpose? Maybe she was right? Maybe you were selfish?   
Had it all been your fault?

The anger turned into guilt. Then shame. 

You were confused as to why you felt guilty, when you were the person who got hurt. But maybe you should have made more of an effort to get along with him? Make more of an effort to make your mum happy?

You reached for your phone to call Loki. 

_"Promise me, you won't see him for at least a week, no matter what. And you will not tell him anything, do you understand?"_

You tossed the phone on the floor and cried. 

You'd never felt so lonely. 

"Victoria?" Loki's voice came from the other side of the door. "Are you - are you still there?"

You wiped another bout of tears away and hesitantly reached for the door knob. With a deep breath you opened the door, just enough to glance at him, carefully hiding the marred side of your face so Loki couldn't see the ugly greenish-purple bruise and the the cut just below your eye. 

“You're not in your bed.” Loki muttered, obviously thrown off because you were crying. Somehow it was impossible to stop the tears from rolling down your cheeks. 

“Obviously." You sniffed. 

“You are not even wearing pyjamas.” He stated, his eyes searching yours, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Impressive deduction, Sherlock." It came out far too sarcastic and you bit your lip.

Nothing of this was Loki's fault. There was no need to take it out on him. In fact, _you_ were the traitor here. You had lied to him and hurt him. 

"Vic, I -", Loki started and broke off. You just stared at him. Loki never called you by your nickname. "May I - may I come in, please?"

You tried to say something, but your throat was suddenly too tight, so you just shook your head and the refusal seemed to shock Loki even more than your tears. 

"Why?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"I can't - tell you."

"I meant, why are you lying to me?" The hurt in his voice was so tangible, it was a painful punch to your chest. And you felt like the most despicable person on the planet.

You couldn't so this any longer.

Quietly, you stepped aside and opened the door for Loki to enter, pulling your hood into your face and turning away from him when he did.

The first thing _Loki_ did was reach for your forehead to check your temperature, then he halted briefly, before his fingers ran along your hairline and he pushed the hood back. He drew a sharp breath and his eyes widened.

“What ... You ... aren't sick, are you?”

The blood rose to your cheeks and you quickly turned away hiding the right side of your face with your hand. 

"I - it's - it's nothing." you stammered.

"What ... happened?" Loki sounded even more confused now and you felt terribly guilty for lying to him.

“Please. Please, don't tell anyone.” As soon as the words had left your lips, you realised it had been a mistake. You should have lied, should have told him you'd had an accident. Why didn't you do that in the first place? He would have believed you, but now you could literally see that things were clicking into place inside his mind. His eyes narrowed, then they widened and a look of disbelief crossed his features.

“Someone ... did this to you? ... I thought ... we were friends?”

“We are.” You whispered. 

“Then why aren't you honest with me?” His concern shifted to irritation as he spoke.

You pressed your lips together. You already felt bad enough about all this, did he have to make you feel worse?

"I've been so worried about you!" He said, raising his voice slightly. 

You averted your eyes, somewhere in the pit of your stomach, underneath the guilt, you felt something stir.

"Why don't you say anything? For goodness sake, just tell me what the bloody hell happened?" 

Your anger shot up like a geyser. 

"My mum's boyfriend hit me, ok?" You yelled. "I picked a fight and he hit me and then mum threw him out. They're not together anymore now and she hasn't spoken to me since, because all I can do is ruin her life and push people away. I - I promised her I wouldn't tell you or anyone the truth. And if you wouldn't have been so persistent in wanting to see me, I wouldn't have had to lie to you! You could have just waited and everything would have been fine! Everything would have been fine!!"

You hadn't meant for it to burst out like that.

“This is the reason your cowardly mother is keeping you from coming to school? Because of her fucking boyfriend?” Loki's eyes were glinting dangerously and you stared at him with wide eyes. It was the first time you'd ever heard him use the f-word. 

Loki closed his eyes and shook his head, when he opened them again to look at you, he was a lot calmer.

"It's - not a big deal", you whispered weakly.

When you didn't say anything more, Loki reached out and brushed his thumb over the bruise on your face, when his finger touched the cut on your cheek, you flinched.

“Not a big deal?”

Loki pressed his lips together, turning his mouth into a thin line. He seemed to consider something for a moment, then he grabbed your hand and pulled the door open.

"What - what are you doing, Loki?"

"You're coming with me." 

“What? Why?” You tried to pull your hand back, but Loki didn't let you.

“Because it's not safe here for you.”

“But - Mum will worry if I'm not home!”

“So she should.” He hissed. “She allowed this swine to hurt you. You can live with us, it's safer for you."

_What?_

"No. NO LOKI!" You yanked your hand from his grip and he spun around to take it again. 

"Pray tell, why _not_?"

You suddenly panicked. This was why you shouldn't have told him. Your mum would be upset. You didn't want to upset her even more. You didn't want to upset anyone anymore. You didn't want more of those confusing feelings.

Your mum may not be the best mum, but she wasn't a bad person and she was - your mum. 

"This is not _your_ life, Loki, it's mine. Mum isn't perfect, but she isn't bad, ok? And I - I just wasn't born into a super-wealthy family where everyone behaves like royalty. I'm an _ordinary_ person. And this is my life. I belong here with - with all the shit that comes with it!" 

You hadn't meant to raise your voice again, neither were you going to burst into tears and of course, you did both, leaving Loki standing in the open doorway, looking rather lost. 

His lips parted as if to say something, but instead he quickly closed the distance between you and pulled you into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry." He breathed and you dug your fingers into the fabric of his shirt.

_This. This was what you longed for. _

"I just can't stand seeing you hurt." He murmured and kicked the door closed with his foot. "If this is your life, then I - I want to be part of it, is that too much to ask?"

You burrowed your face in his chest. 

"I'm sorry", you sniffed. 

Loki's arms held you in a safe embrace, one of his hands gingerly stroking your hair. 

_This. This was what you needed. _

"I'm so sorry I lied to you", you murmured as you fisted the fabric of his shirt. 

_Just this. _

This lanky, dark-haired boy with those mesmerising greenish eyes, who smelled like forest and snow and had the most beautiful voice in the entire universe. 

This was were you belonged. Nowhere else.

"Don't lie to me again." Loki whispered.

Something wet dripped onto your hand. It took you a moment to realise what it was, and when you did, you sobbed even harder.

And you swore to yourself that you would never make Loki cry again.

Never. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to let me know your thoughts


End file.
